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Thursday, 6 February 2014

Three-Course Valentines Day Dinner with Perfect Pans

Valentines day for many people is the adult version of Christmas. We give thoughtful and romantic gifts to our husbands and wives, we enjoy a nice meal together enjoying each other's company and spending quality time with those we love. Why go out to a restaurant full of people, for that "romantic night alone" when you could make dinner for that special person and infuse the best ingredient into each dish... love. We have scoured the books and internet to find you a three-course super indulgent, tasty meal that is sure to be a hit, and can all be done with the added use of your trusted Perfect Pans.

Scallop Caprese Salad

Ingredients:8 sea scallops2 thick sliced vine ripe tomato's120 ml of red wine2 tablespoon butter1/2 teaspoon minced garlic1/2 teaspoon brown sugarUsing a Crafond sauté, frying pan, or Castey Flat Tray add the scallops and brown on one side and cook till you see the tops looking like they are cooking through around seven minutes. Flip over, cook not as long on this side, as they should be almost all done. Around three minutes. Remove from pan set aside, lower heat and add the wine, butter, brown sugar, cook for around 5 minutes and the sauce will thicken a little. Stack the tomato, mozzarella, basil together. Add scallops on top, drizzle sauce over the top and serve.

Lamb with Tangerine-Chile Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sunflower or rapeseed oil

One 2 1/2-pound frenched rack of lamb

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon finely grated tangerine zest

120 ml fresh tangerine juice

1 small fresh red chile, thinly sliced

60 ml chicken stock or low-sodium broth

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 180°. In a Crafond 28 cm Sauté, heat the oil until simmering. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Add the lamb to the sauté, fat side down, and cook over medium heat until richly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the lamb fat side up and cook for 2 minutes longer. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the rack for about 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the centre of the meat registers 65° for medium-rare meat. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes.

Discard the fat in the Crafond pan. Add the tangerine zest, juice, chili and boil over medium heat until the juice is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and boil until reduced by one-fourth, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.Carve the lamb into chops and arrange on warmed plates. Spoon the sauce over the lamb and serve.Serve with seasoned Asparagus and carrots to add colour and vegetables to your dish.

Love Heart Red Velvet Crepes

Crepe Ingredients:

225 grams all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

480ml butter milk

300 ml whole or low fat milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

1 tablespoon red food colour gel

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons sunflower or rapeseed oil (for pan if desired)

Tip for Crepes: Because the buttermilk lends to the acidity of this batter, do not substitute the baking soda for extra baking powder. If you add more baking powder, and omit the baking soda, you’ll end up with a heavy and dense crepe. In order to activate the baking soda, it requires an acidic substance, which the buttermilk provides. Double-acting baking powder (likely, this is what you have in your kitchen) is activated by heat and an acidic element, and in this case, baking soda does the trick. Enough with the chemistry lesson– just don’t make substitutes if you want light and fluffy crepes; the recipe is balanced to account for ingredient properties.

Mascarpone Cream Filling- 500 ml heavy cream- 300 g mascarpone cheese- 70g cup icing sugar- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract- zest of 1 orange (optional, but adds nice tang)-70g raspberry jam (optional, for filling crepes)Chocolate Ganache Topping- 75 g bittersweet chocolate- 75 ml heavy cream- 1 tablespoon sugarDirections:For the Mascarpone Filling:1. Using a mixer, mix mascarpone cheese, 30g sugar, and vanilla until soft and fluffy. Set aside.2. Whip cream and remaining sugar to a stiff peak. Carefully fold into the mascarpone cheese until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.For Chocolate Ganache Sauce1. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. In a small Crafond sauce pan, heat cream and sugar to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, and pour over chocolate. Carefully mix until homogenous, and set aside until ready to use. If the ganache sets, re-melt the chocolate over a double boiler.For Red Velvet Crepes1. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, milk, egg, sugar, melted butter, vanilla extract and food coloring. Whisk until combined.3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are combined. The batter will be a little runny (think soup). If you find that the batter is too thick and pancake like, add more milk (regular). Make sure the batter is clear of lumps.4. Heat a Crafond Crepe Pan over medium heat. For each crepe, spoon or ladle about 60ml of the batter into the center of the pan. Holding onto the handle of the pan, remove it from the heat and swirl the pan so the batter coats the bottom of the pan. You want to make the coating as thin as possible. If you have holes in the crepe, go ahead and add more batter to the pan to cover them. Return to heat.6. As the batter cooks, it will dry and lose its shine (~ 2 minutes). Once this happens, use a spatula and carefully flip the crepe over. Finish cooking the crepe on the other side (~ 45 seconds).7. Gently slide the cooked crepe onto an oven proof plate, and keep the finished crepes warm in an oven set at 195 degrees.Assembling the Crepes:- If using raspberry jam, place a small amount the center of the crepe. Pipe mascarpone cream filling, and carefully roll.- Drizzle with chocolate ganache sauce and dust with icing sugar.